IN October, the northeast monsoon begins to creep in from the Bay of Bengal and turns Sri Lanka into a vast network of closely-spaced puddles. This is excellent for the nation’s paddy farmers, whose fields are made fit for replanting. It is less good for cricketers, whose fields are made fit for marine exploration. Spectators are advised to take umbrellas to any match in Sri Lanka, but going by the history of series scheduled for this time of year, snorkeling gear might not be unwise either.The teams have come to understand they are in for a wet series. In addition to having much of the two most recent weeks indoors, they have also shared a rich and storied history of being holed up in dressing rooms. West Indies’ first-ever Test in Sri Lanka in 1993 was so beset by bad weather it barely entered its third innings. Their most recent Test on the island did not make it past the first.
That 2010 tour saw more hours of rain than cricket.The groundstaff were also fitter than the athletes by the end of it.
Maybe it’s the knowledge that the coming series will probably go the same way that this West Indies side barely turned up for the three-day warm-up match, in which they were comfortably outperformed.
The SLC’s only remaining solution to this recurring issue may be to demand Mother Nature stop scheduling monsoons in cricket season. Even this seems more likely to evince a positive response than asking the ICC for help with adjusting the cricket schedule.
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